Fitness |OT| A New Era Begins

Mobius and Pet Octopus · Mar 16, 2020

Nelo Ice said:
My go to for everything. I think I'm just gonna ride out home workouts with Ring Fit Adventure. Luckily bought it right before everyone started buying it up.

The Best Resistance Bands

We spent 25 hours testing 11 sets of resistance bands to find the best resistance bands for most people.

thewirecutter.com

Thanks, now I just need to decide how much resistance I actually need.

Nelo Ice · Mar 16, 2020

Mobius and Pet Octopus said:
Thanks, now I just need to decide how much resistance I actually need.

Wirecutter talks about that on their page if you need help.

Understanding and choosing your resistance
All resistance-band manufacturers make claims about the amount of tension each band provides, indicated in a range of pounds. But experts we interviewed said you should take those numbers with a grain of salt.

Grady Durden · Mar 16, 2020

Wanted to check this game out. Anywhere in US that it's in stock? Thank you in advance

pokeystaples · Mar 16, 2020

Grady Durden said:
Wanted to check this game out. Anywhere in US that it's in stock? Thank you in advance

What game?

Eidan · Mar 16, 2020

So what are you all doing now that gyms are closing everywhere? I already have resistance bands, and I saw Athlean-X offered up an at-home workout routine. I live in an apartment so buying my own gym equipment outside of probably dumbbells isn't really an option.

Nelo Ice · Mar 16, 2020

Eidan said:
So what are you all doing now that gyms are closing everywhere? I already have resistance bands, and I saw Athlean-X offered up an at-home workout routine. I live in an apartment so buying my own gym equipment outside of probably dumbbells isn't really an option.

I'm just gonna play Ring Fit. Just waiting for my yoga mat to come in. Also have a foam roller and lacrosse balls on me too.

jvalioli · Mar 16, 2020

Eidan said:
So what are you all doing now that gyms are closing everywhere? I already have resistance bands, and I saw Athlean-X offered up an at-home workout routine. I live in an apartment so buying my own gym equipment outside of probably dumbbells isn't really an option.

resistance bands with common bodyweight exercises. I also live in an apartment

EssBeeVee · Mar 17, 2020

Eidan said:
So what are you all doing now that gyms are closing everywhere? I already have resistance bands, and I saw Athlean-X offered up an at-home workout routine. I live in an apartment so buying my own gym equipment outside of probably dumbbells isn't really an option.

Time to whip out the DVD set for insanity

Mobius and Pet Octopus · Mar 17, 2020

I think I might end my bulk early and start cutting. Then hopefully the gym is back open by the end of the cut.

Solid Dude · Mar 17, 2020

Found a park near my place in DC with a body weight circuit, I guess I'll just run that out for the time being. I was so close to 275 lb on bench, guess it's going to be a while before I can work back up to that weight :(

Thank you to Nelo Ice for linking to the resistance band article--I just ordered a set.

potato · Mar 17, 2020

I got 9k on my Rogue "wish list". Now time to whittle it down. Some things I'll get from Rep (the stainless steel rack, some accessories and maybe plates) to save some money. I estimate i can save about 1 to 1.5 grand mixing it up like this.

Too damn bad Rep Fitness is perpetually sold out. I might wait for Black Friday as well - I can save an additional 1k off shipping alone in addition to Hundo Pricing for the plates.

For those who have experience between steel and bumper plates. Would you recommend the bumpers considering their premium?

HiLife · Mar 17, 2020

Still jump roping and using the elastic bands if I don't feel like using the power rack outside. I don't have an excuse to not band exercise when I'm doing something like watching Netflix. One episode of an hour runtime you can get a solid full body workout in.

The Silver · Mar 17, 2020

Well my gym is locked up and I'm stuck with torturous bodyweight exercises. I have a pullup bar so that's something, I always do heavy weighted pullups/chinups though so now that's gonna be more torturous since I have to do a shitton more reps to make up for it. I'm not gonna bother trying to keep leg gains.

Now that complaining is over can someone give me a good bodyweight exercise to hit the side delt?

farmland · Mar 17, 2020

Just doing body weight exercises and my stationary bike. I'll do it because I'm dedicated but I hate it lol.

Tuorom · Mar 17, 2020

The Silver said:
Well my gym is locked up and I'm stuck with torturous bodyweight exercises. I have a pullup bar so that's something, I always do heavy weighted pullups/chinups though so now that's gonna be more torturous since I have to do a shitton more reps to make up for it. I'm not gonna bother trying to keep leg gains.

Now that complaining is over can someone give me a good bodyweight exercise to hit the side delt?

Instead of pull ups, give your body a new stimulus and try doing front levers. Try doing front lever rows. One arm pull ups.
Instead of bench, do a planche. Try doing planche push ups. Handstands. Tricep extensions from a push up position.
Instead of barbell squats/deads, do mobility focused variations like cossac squats and one legged variations.

Psychotext · Mar 17, 2020

Still sick. Really getting to me now.

I've noticed that all the muscle I got back on my right leg after my surgery (was nearly the same size as my left leg again) is gone now. 6 months of progress out the window. :(

Mobius and Pet Octopus · Mar 18, 2020

I am starting to see how I can workout from home. I so far figured out dips... maybe pull ups can be done on 1 door but the ceiling is low so it is not quite full pull up. I have a few resistance bands but they are not really suited for this kind of work. I have a backpack, 2 dumbbells with 30lbs between them, and I can probably fill the backpack with other heavy things to add some weight (probably more for squats). I have a gravity training rope that fits on a door... to do rows I guess. I know it can do other things too of course.

I need to learn bodyweight squats and a bodyweight deadlift replacement. My core exercises I can do with resistance bands and without. Weighted dips, weighted pull ups, weighted push ups... lat raises and/or rows.

The goal is to maintain muscle but also to maintain sanity.

Psychotext · Mar 18, 2020

Fucking low ceilings man. I hate modern houses!

Mobius and Pet Octopus · Mar 18, 2020

My workout went way better than expected. Doing 30 squats with just 30 pounds and a few bricks in my backpack was just as intense as doing much heavier weight on a barbell at fewer reps. Pull ups were... okay. I will get better at that or figure out a new way. Dips were fine. 1 leg deadlift lifting up the bag with weights and bricks was fine, I will improve technique or find another movement. I think I will in fact continue to bulk diet after all.

Solid Dude · Mar 19, 2020

Can anyone point me to some good resistance band routines? I'd like to workout 5-6 days a week (to maintain my schedule back when I had gym access).

pokeystaples · Mar 19, 2020

Solid Dude said:
Can anyone point me to some good resistance band routines? I'd like to workout 5-6 days a week (to maintain my schedule back when I had gym access).

Friend of mine sent me this. Said she did it this morning and it wore her out. YMMV depending on your current fitness level.

PoppaBK · Mar 19, 2020

Mobius and Pet Octopus said:
My workout went way better than expected. Doing 30 squats with just 30 pounds and a few bricks in my backpack was just as intense as doing much heavier weight on a barbell at fewer reps. Pull ups were... okay. I will get better at that or figure out a new way. Dips were fine. 1 leg deadlift lifting up the bag with weights and bricks was fine, I will improve technique or find another movement. I think I will in fact continue to bulk diet after all.

If you have the screw type dumbbells then you can buy 10lb plates for $10 and increase the weight considerably. Think I can fit 60lb on each of my generic dumbbells.

LebGuns · Mar 19, 2020

Fuck is this gonna suck without gyms. How the fuck am I supposed to keep my muscle gains without weights? No way are body weight exercises sufficient, right?

Psychotext · Mar 19, 2020

I've bought a ton of screw dumbells over the years. I have about 15 set up with different weights (for pyramid / superset etc).

ArkhamFantasy · Mar 19, 2020

LebGuns said:
Fuck is this gonna suck without gyms. How the fuck am I supposed to keep my muscle gains without weights? No way are body weight exercises sufficient, right?

Wrong, body weight exercises are excellent, you can make muscle gains. Check out athlean x xero program.

jvalioli · Mar 19, 2020

pokeystaples said:
Friend of mine sent me this. Said she did it this morning and it wore her out. YMMV depending on your current fitness level.

This is more of a warm up routine, especially with those specific bands. They are only like 25lb of resistance. A standard set should range from 15lb to like 175lb.

Mobius and Pet Octopus · Mar 19, 2020

LebGuns said:
Fuck is this gonna suck without gyms. How the fuck am I supposed to keep my muscle gains without weights? No way are body weight exercises sufficient, right?

Check out r/bodyweightfitness beginner routine, it has progressions for beginners to even more intermediate lifters. https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended_routine

Your body does not care about weight, it cares about the stimuli. At the very least you can train to maintain. My advice is to just to aim for as close to muscle failure as you can. Make exercises more intense by modifying them. For example, do push ups with some weight on your back but do them very slow. When you feel like you cannot do anymore, push even harder. Get those last few reps in and then hold while squeezing your muscles as long as you can. I think I had one of my best squat exercises with largely bodyweight doing this. I just had a backpack with plates in it and some bricks. I did something similar to replace deadlifts.

Servbot24 · Mar 19, 2020

Got a pull up bar, resistance bands, and some light dumbbells. Would like to get heavier weights but all the fitness stores in Austin are closed. Maybe Target would have some.

LebGuns · Mar 19, 2020

Mobius and Pet Octopus said:
Check out r/bodyweightfitness beginner routine, it has progressions for beginners to even more intermediate lifters. https://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/wiki/kb/recommended_routine

Your body does not care about weight, it cares about the stimuli. At the very least you can train to maintain. My advice is to just to aim for as close to muscle failure as you can. Make exercises more intense by modifying them. For example, do push ups with some weight on your back but do them very slow. When you feel like you cannot do anymore, push even harder. Get those last few reps in and then hold while squeezing your muscles as long as you can. I think I had one of my best squat exercises with largely bodyweight doing this. I just had a backpack with plates in it and some bricks. I did something similar to replace deadlifts.

Thank you, great advice 🙏🏼

pokeystaples · Mar 19, 2020

jvalioli said:
This is more of a warm up routine, especially with those specific bands. They are only like 25lb of resistance. A standard set should range from 15lb to like 175lb.

Thanks for the heads up. I've been getting a flurry of random routines from gym buddies. Sorry this one was no help. :(

Shiloh · Mar 20, 2020

They finally closed my gym.

Currently have adjustable dumbbells that go up to 52.5 lbs, a bench, ab roller, and a pull-up bar. Suppose it's time to look into programs and potentially resistance bands to get me through until its open again. Should have looked into all of this sooner, heh.

EssBeeVee · Mar 20, 2020

people really buying all the pullup bars on amazon lol. gotta get them gains i guess.

ArkhamFantasy · Mar 20, 2020

I'd imagine bands and Pull ups bars are seeing some really good sales, low cost and doesn't take up alot of space.

Sqrt · Mar 20, 2020

Are pushups enough to keep some muscles on my upper body?

ArkhamFantasy · Mar 20, 2020

Lonely1 said:
Are pushups enough to keep some muscles on my upper body?

You can make very good gains on bodyweight only programs, your body doesn't know the difference between resistance training with bodyweight, bands, or plates.

Pushups will activate your chest, front delt, and triceps. Combining them with pull ups or inverted rows will hit most of your upper body.

Astral · Mar 20, 2020

Lonely1 said:
Are pushups enough to keep some muscles on my upper body?

Simply eating should be enough no? As long as you keep eating enough for your body to maintain your current muscle, you're not gonna lose it. At least that's my understanding of it.

ArkhamFantasy · Mar 20, 2020

Yeah, if your diet and sleep are on point it will take a while to lose any muscle. Notice how pro athletes don't lose much size even when they can't workout for months and months in a row.

Sqrt · Mar 20, 2020

The thing is, I also lost weight recently and I'm at 4kg away from my goal...

jvalioli · Mar 20, 2020

Astral said:
Simply eating should be enough no? As long as you keep eating enough for your body to maintain your current muscle, you're not gonna lose it. At least that's my understanding of it.

You can lose muscle if they are not stimulated for long periods of time.

Tuorom · Mar 20, 2020

Lonely1 said:
Are pushups enough to keep some muscles on my upper body?

It's one of the best pushing exercises, so yes.

Over long periods you will lose total strength capacity specific to dumbbell/barbell loading, however there are lots of ways to progress basic pushing strength like handstands, pseudo planche pushups, planche pushups, etc. Also you can do dips with two chairs!

If you can do these then it should carry over benefits to regular gym exercises involving barbells and such through better muscular control.

ArkhamFantasy · Mar 20, 2020

Managed to cut down to 170, If you guys had to guess, around what body fat % am i at?

Tuorom · Mar 20, 2020

10%

ArkhamFantasy said:
Managed to cut down to 170, If you guys had to guess, around what body fat % am i at

Deleted member 2834 · Mar 20, 2020

Ordered my bench on Monday and it still hasn't arrive smh

Astral · Mar 20, 2020

Imp the Dimp said:
Ordered my bench on Monday and it still hasn't arrive smh

I was thinking of doing this if my gyms stay closed longer than originally planned. An entire bench press setup. Sounds very expensive though. Bench press is an exercise I kinda struggle with and was making my best gains on yet before gyms closed. I'm afraid of falling way behind on it.

Laver · Mar 21, 2020

Lonely1 said:
Are pushups enough to keep some muscles on my upper body?

Tuorom said:
It's one of the best pushing exercises, so yes.

Over long periods you will lose total strength capacity specific to dumbbell/barbell loading, however there are lots of ways to progress basic pushing strength like handstands, pseudo planche pushups, planche pushups, etc. Also you can do dips with two chairs!

If you can do these then it should carry over benefits to regular gym exercises involving barbells and such through better muscular control.

While that handstand pushup tutorial is ok, I would note that even the pike pushup is technically tricky to execute correctly, so I'd watch a tutorial specific to that as well (FitnessFAQs uploaded an excellent one).

It's important to note that the pulling strength shouldn't be neglected either. At the very least, find a way to perform bodyweight rows.

ArkhamFantasy · Mar 21, 2020

Remember inverted rows can be done with 2 chairs and a decently strong broom.

Tuorom · Mar 21, 2020

ArkhamFantasy said:
Remember inverted rows can be done with 2 chairs and a decently strong broom.

Mobius and Pet Octopus · Mar 21, 2020

I think I need to just buy some gymnastic rings. I should have done this months ago. But I am not sure where I can set it up. Gymnastic rings seem necessary for more advanced bodyweight movements. My gym does not even have gymnastic rings, which is pretty disappointing.

Laver · Mar 21, 2020

Mobius and Pet Octopus said:
I think I need to just buy some gymnastic rings. I should have done this months ago. But I am not sure where I can set it up. Gymnastic rings seem necessary for more advanced bodyweight movements. My gym does not even have gymnastic rings, which is pretty disappointing.

They are absolutely not necessary for advanced bodyweight movements, as most of them can be performed simply on the floor. However, gym rings are incredibly fun and versatile as they allow you to perform both pushing and pulling movements, slight modifications of exercises can easily scale their difficulty and you can be really creative with your workouts.

I am sadly not particularly good with them, I still need to get a bit stronger. Here's my muscle up:

Muscle-up GIF | Gfycat

Watch and share Muscle-up GIFs on Gfycat

gfycat.com

Once I can do ~5 in a row, I'll move on to more complex moves like the forward and the back roll.

TurtleSnatcher · Mar 21, 2020

Not having a gym sucks haha

I own...

2x 10lb dumbells
2x 15lb dumbells
1x 20lb dumbell
Multiple resistance bands

I went out on Monday before the lockdown and grabbed...

2x 35lb kettlebells as they were out of everything else..
A pull-up bar for pull-ups, chin ups and some dips.

I just remembered my apartment has an outdoor fitness area so did some stuff today to get some sun. Gotta make do! Won't be making any gains but hoping I can maintain.

Make sure to train to fail if you are just using body weight exercises and stuff.

Fitness |OT| A New Era Begins

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